Author's Note: Well... This is unexpected. I never thought I would be making a new fic over Spring Break.
Anyway, this fic is going to be a half-AU to One Piece - Much of the canon details will stay the same, but this is a complete AU to my fic One Piece: Parallel Works. The Capricorns will be in this fic, but I will warn you - They will be different than in Parallel Works.
Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda. Please support the official release.
Argo [ahr-goh] - Noun, genitive Argus [ahr-guhs]
1. Astronomy - A very large southern constellation, now divided into Vela, Carina, Puppis, and Pyxis, four separate constellations lying largely south of Canis Major.
2. Classical Mythology - The ship in which Jason sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece.
Wealth, fame, power… Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, obtained this and everything else the world had to offer and his dying words drove countless souls to the seas.
"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it!"
These words lured men to the Grand Line. In pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine! This is the time known as the 'Great Pirate Era'!
Many pirates came out of the woodwork during this era of excitement, danger, and immense adventure – Everyone from merciless pirates to kind-hearted pirates who wanted nothing more than to go on an adventure. Although the road to One Piece was rough and many died trying to find this treasure, many of the pirates who set sail would never forget the voyages they went on, the people they met, and, most importantly, the treasures that they collected along the way.
Eventually, two crews made it to Raftel, the home of Gol D. Roger's treasure – The Blackbeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates. Their fight went on for an entire night, but in the end, it was Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, who proved victorious. With Gol D. Roger's treasure, Monkey D. Luffy was now the Second King of the Pirates.
In his lifetime, Luffy would make five more voyages into the Grand Line and the New World, all so his crew could have their dreams fulfilled, too. Tragically, at the end of the fifth voyage, Luffy found out that he was dying. With time running out, Luffy had only one other choice – To turn himself in. After Monkey D. Luffy turned himself in, his crew tried their best to assimilate back into society, never to be heard from much again.
Six months later, Monkey D. Luffy was executed at the same spot Gol D. Roger was executed in Lougetown. His final words were as follows:
"You want my treasure?! You can have it! It's right where I left it, in one piece!"
And, with the word of Monkey D. Luffy, the Second Golden Age of Pirates had begun.
"…And, so, that is how the Second Age of Pirates had begun. Are there any questions?"
The class sat in silence, waiting for class to be over and for the weekend to start. As soon as the bell rang a few seconds later, one of the girls in the classroom sprung up from her chair and hurried out of the classroom. She had short, green hair, black eyes, and wore red-framed, rectangular-shaped glasses. Her outfit was rather simple, as it consisted of a plain, black, V-neck T-shirt, olive green cargo pants, black sneakers with white soles and white shoelaces, and a necklace of a green-colored atom; a dark-brown, leather messenger bag was slung over her shoulder.
Exiting the school, the girl began to walk. A few minutes later, she arrived in a large, bustling section of downtown – Large skyscrapers housing resort casinos, apartments, and office buildings greeted her. As it was a Friday afternoon, many people were out and about either running errands or sightseeing. Inwardly, the girl cringed at the sight of it all.
"Comstock Island. Population – 225,221. Home to Comstock City, Comstock Junction, and Lake Comstock, the island is known for Lake Comstock, the casinos in Comstock City, and the high incidents of piracy, drug use, and prostitution..."
As the girl recited those facts in her head, distant memories came back as well.
"Get fucking lost, Mona! You nearly got all of us killed tonight!"
"Guys, it isn't my fault that –"
"You used that shit excuse back on Xinjin Island! Maybe Heathcliffe is right – Maybe you shouldn't be with us anymore, Sheffield!"
The girl bit her lip as she entered one of the resort casinos in the city – A forty-story casino with a large, white dome on the lower rooftops of the building. After about a minute or so of walking, the girl looked up into the dome, where she saw somebody sitting in the rafters.
"I'm up here, Desdemona!"
Desdemona gave the person a quick nod before she approached the scaffolding and began to climb up toward the rafters. As Desdemona climbed higher and higher, the person's features became clearer – Messy, black hair, black eyes, olive skin, and many, black tattoos on his arms, neck, and chest. He wore a black, V-neck T-shirt to show off a tattoo of intertwining vines climbing up to his neck, khaki pants, and heavy, black work boots.
"Hey, Jax. What's up?" Desdemona asked as Jax pulled her up to the rafters.
"The usual – Drunk Marines who come back to the tattoo parlor the next day begging me to remove their tattoos, new pirates, and the odd Revolutionary," Jax explained as Desdemona sat next to him. "And you? How's not being a pirate working out for you?"
"It's fine…" Desdemona said, tones of bitterness in her voice. "I got an A today on my chemistry project, so I guess that's good."
Jax laughed in response.
"Your inner chemist is showing," Jax said before taking a swig from a nearby beer bottle. "Science aside… When are you going to go after them?"
"I'm going to start my voyage within the next week or so, if all goes as planned," Desdemona explained. Jax gave a long look to Desdemona – Not the kind a boyfriend gave to his girlfriend, but the kind a concerned father or guardian would give their child.
"I won't be there for you when things go awry. Just so you know, when things get fucked up, you and you alone will have to be the one who fights off the villains, takes herself to the hospital, and recovers," Jax explained. "I'm sure you still remember that night, even though you don't particularly want to."
Desdemona closed her eyes, picturing the scenes from that night and how horrific they were. After a few minutes in contemplation, Desdemona opened her eyes.
"I want to remember it. I want that night to serve as a reminder to what happened and how I grew as a person," Desdemona explained, standing up. "Jax, I want you to tattoo that date onto me. It's too important to forget."
Jax said nothing as he poured his beer down onto the ground below, where it landed on the head of an unsuspecting gambler.
"You're the boss," Jax said, throwing the bottle down to the casino floor.
An hour and a tattoo later, Desdemona arrived at her house – An apartment in a more suburban area of town. As she unlocked her door, Desdemona noticed the lone letter sitting on her doorstep. As soon as she got into the apartment, Desdemona opened the letter, which simply said the following:
Dear Desdemona Sheffield, Hettienne Leung, and Griffin Gethard,
Remember me? It's your old pen-pal from the South Blue, Eta. It's been so long since we talked, so it must have come as a surprise for you to hear from me after all of these years. So, why am I suddenly corresponding with you again?
I want to go out to sea. However, I can't do it alone – I would like you guys to come along and help me out on my voyage. I'll die in the Grand Line if I do it alone, and, plus, it would get really lonely.
Should you choose to help me out on my voyage, meet me in Lougetown. There's no departure date for me as of yet, but I think it would be a good idea if we left when we're all together. If not, then I hope I can meet you in real life someday.
Your pen-pal,
Eta Goodwin
Desdemona read over the letter a few times, making sure she got all of the details. After a few minutes had past, Desdemona folded up the letter and put it in her pocket.
"The more the merrier," Desdemona said to herself.
Ending Note: And now, for something completely different - I'll be using the end of the chapters to explain the various references/shout-outs in the story.
Luffy Becoming the Second Pirate King - My headcanon of how Luffy became the Second Pirate King and died. I believe his story has some parallels to Roger's story (Straw Hat, dying young, etc.). I left out the Straw Hat, since, well, it's probably with the next Luffy in this story.
Comstock Island - Comstock Island is based off of the city of Reno, Nevada; The casino Desdemona and Jax shoot the breeze in is based off of the Silver Legacy hotel and casino, which also houses a large dome.
Xinjin Island Incident - A very important part of Desdemona's back story, which you will see later on.
Pen Pals - I always wanted to do some sort of One Piece fic with elements from Homestuck in it. For now, a fic like that is too complicated, but the idea of four friends/pen pals a la Homestuck... Well, stuck.
Next chapter will introduce Hettienne with a rather daring escape.